A Blurred World

"Then, Kato, you'll need to work hard..."

"The second of three ways to undo the Cursed Seal: learn about Cursed Seals and try to break it."

There seemed to be a hint of appreciation in Orochimaru's gaze as he left the laboratory, leaving Kato Osamu alone in the empty room.

Only then did his thoughts slowly return.

"Uncle Yuan... is dead..."

Although Orochimaru had not said anything, Kato Osamu never believed such a coincidence existed. He did not even need to think to roughly understand whose handiwork this was. He was all too familiar with it.

"Shimura Danzō..."

The man who now held his life in his hands seemed to have erased every trace of his existence. Not just his alone—most members of Root, who had no names, no pasts, and no futures, were either dead or never spoken of again.

Other than in Root, they no longer existed in any of Konoha's records.

They were not allowed to freely enter or leave the Root base, nor were they allowed to casually communicate with anyone outside it. Without orders, they could not appear in the village. Violators would die.

Had Orochimaru not possessed sufficient status, Kato Osamu might not have received any further detailed news of the Kato Clan until the day he died fighting for Root.

"Soon. Soon..."

Kato Osamu tightly gripped the scroll in his hand, Orochimaru's reward. He cleared his mind, silently opened it, and began to study it carefully.

"Vanishing Facial Copy Technique..."

Orochimaru seemed to regard him with a little appreciation as a fellow traveler, so he had not been stingy with this small bit of help.

This had never happened before. Orochimaru would only casually give him ordinary ninjutsu—not techniques that could be considered Orochimaru's unique ninjutsu—and most of them were genjutsu.

"Orochimaru... sir..."

Kato Osamu silently finished reading the scroll, and a faint ripple stirred in his heart. Orochimaru seemed to know what he was thinking.

The Vanishing Facial Copy Technique was Orochimaru's exclusive ninjutsu. It was not as easy as Kato Osamu had imagined. He halted all experiments and devoted himself entirely to the technique.

Two months passed in a rush. Kato Osamu finally mastered the Vanishing Facial Copy Technique. Orochimaru came by several times without saying much, though he did offer him a few pointers.

The research base was inexplicably quiet today.

Even a minute before leaving it, he still felt as though none of this was real.

Although Orochimaru's research base was not inside the Root base, it was usually heavily guarded by Root shinobi. Aside from a select few who were permitted to enter and leave, everyone else was forbidden from investigating it—and he was among those barred from entering or leaving.

Yet today, not a single Root shinobi was in sight. He simply walked out of the research base as though he had every right to do so.

Kato Osamu had a vague suspicion, though he scarcely dared believe it.

Konoha's streets were not much different from when Kato Osamu had entered Root more than four years ago, but today they seemed somewhat more prosperous.

A burly man carrying goods approached him. Just as the man passed beside Kato Osamu, he suddenly froze. Then his expression became strangely calm, a mild smile appearing on his lips as he spoke in a tone Kato Osamu recognized, saying words that made him breathe a huge sigh of relief.

"Return to the laboratory before five in the afternoon..."

Kato Osamu had guessed correctly. Orochimaru had used some method to allow him to leave the research base without obstruction.

"Huh? What just happened?"

The burly man suddenly came to his senses and looked around in confusion. He then looked at Kato Osamu before his face once again broke into a smile.

"Young man, fresh fruit. Want to buy a couple pounds?"

"Sure!"

Someone who considered his subordinates was worthy of respect. Though Kato Osamu had once thought of Orochimaru and Danzo as the same kind of people, now he sincerely acknowledged the cold-faced Snake Lord from the bottom of his heart.

Konoha's cemetery was not difficult to find. It did not take Kato Osamu long to locate where Kato Yuan had been buried.

A small gravestone briefly recorded Kato Yuan's life.

Kato Osamu watched from a distance without approaching. He merely placed the fruit in his hand on the ground and kowtowed three times toward Kato Yuan's grave.

He silently stared for a while, then suddenly smiled.

"Uncle Yuan, you were such a great clan head. A grave this small really doesn't suit your status. When I get the chance, I'll replace it with a bigger one."

"Uncle Yuan, I'll live. I'll live very, very well..."

"I'll marry several wives, have a whole bunch of children, and make the Kato Clan huge."

"Don't you dare wait for me to come see you. If anyone's coming to see someone, you should come up to see me..."

"Orochimaru is a good person. I heard him mention a technique that can summon back the dead. Wait a few years. When I have lots of children, I'll call you out to see them. Just don't complain that I'm interrupting your gathering with Uncle Dan."

"Rest here for now. Don't mind that the place is small. Chat with your neighbors more."

Kato Osamu chattered on as though making up for every day of silence over the past years. His voice was very soft. With his perception, no one could approach him unnoticed.

"That's it. Orochimaru is still waiting for me to return. I'll come see you again next time..."

As Kato Osamu left the cemetery, he let out a faint sigh. It was as though he had exhausted every word he possessed, and he fell into prolonged silence.

An inexplicable loneliness swept over him, as though he were the only person left between heaven and earth. The entire world blurred.

"Little brother, my condolences..."

A crisp female voice pulled Kato Osamu back to reality. Before him stood a red-haired woman. She seemed a little flustered as she pulled out several tissues from her bag and offered them to him.

"Th... thank you..."

Kato Osamu warily watched the red-haired woman. In his perception, she resembled a volcano on the verge of eruption—at times filled with evil, gloom, and violence, and at others filled with gentleness, kindness, and sunlight.

The two contradictory emotions clashed constantly, yet seemed to be suppressed by something...

"Little brother, don't be afraid. We're not bad people..."

As if she could read minds, Kato Osamu felt that this woman could sense his emotions as well. He had never encountered such a situation before, and he could not help studying the strange woman more closely.

"Hey! Brat, what kind of look is that?"

"Do I look like some weird woman to you?!!"

"Kushina, what happened to this... little brother?"

Before Kato Osamu could speak, a young blond-haired shinobi instantly appeared beside Kushina.

"Minato, you're here..."

As though she had changed in an instant, the woman named Kushina became exceptionally gentle the next moment.

Kato Osamu was startled. He could vaguely sense that this young man was an extremely powerful shinobi, perhaps second only to Orochimaru in his perception.

"Minato-sensei!"

A child about Kato Osamu's age, wearing goggles, came running over behind the blond Jonin, panting heavily. A cute little girl with slightly chubby cheeks followed behind him.

"Obito, slow down..."

"Don't worry, Rin. I'm going to become Hokage!"

The child named Obito turned back to look at the little girl, smiling even more brightly. Yet he seemed not to watch his footing, staggering twice as though he were about to fall.

"Obito!"

Kato Osamu had not intended to intervene, but he could feel that the child named Obito possessed a warmth as bright as sunlight. His hand moved on its own, tossing a small stone that struck a nerve in Obito's leg.

"Hm?"

Obito only felt a numbness in his leg, but he steadied himself. He looked down in surprise, then burst into laughter.

"Hahaha, Rin, see? Even heaven is protecting me..."

The blond man named Minato narrowed his eyes slightly, exchanged a glance with Kushina, and revealed a gentle smile.

"Little brother, you're quite impressive. May I know your name?"

Kushina moved closer and rubbed Kato Osamu's hair. Though he wanted to dodge, he seemed intimidated by a peculiar aura. He froze for a moment and could only stand there, still remaining silent.

"Minato-sensei, where's that smug bastard Kakashi? We agreed to come pay respects at the Memorial Stone together..."

"Obito, don't be impatient..."

Minato rubbed Obito's little head. Only then did Obito notice the boy opposite him, whose head was being fussed over just like his own.

"Minato-sensei... who is he?"

"An interesting little friend..."

Kato Osamu could not stand being treated like a child. He glanced at the foolish-looking Obito, merely took a step back, then vanished with a Body Flicker Technique.

"Hey! Hey! Minato-sensei! He looks the same age as me, but he can use the Body Flicker Technique!"

"That's right, Obito. I didn't expect it either..."

"Obito, it was your foolish face that scared him away..."

Kushina crouched down, made a face, and tugged Obito's ear as she shook it.

Rin burst into laughter at Obito's appearance. Obito had initially looked unwilling to accept it, but upon hearing Rin laugh, he suddenly seemed to enjoy it.

"Obito, and you say you don't look foolish? Then where are your flowers?"

Obito seemed to be struck by a bolt from the blue, freezing on the spot.

"Ah! Oh no, oh no! I forgot to bring flowers..."

"Rin, I forgot to bring flowers. What do I do? What do I do..."

"Obito, when I was coming over, I saw some flowers growing by the woods over there. Let's go pick some?"

"Rin, thank you so much! Hahaha, just as expected of Rin. I didn't even notice them..."

Boys all seemed foolish in the same way. Obito's silly grin as he scratched the back of his head was no different from that of most ordinary little boys.

"Then hurry up and go!"

Kushina lightly tapped Obito on the head. He clutched his head and cried out in pain, but still hurried off with Rin.

"Those two little ones are so energetic..."

"Kushina, did you notice anything?"

After Obito and Rin went off to pick flowers, Minato finally looked at Kushina.

"That child from earlier?"

"Mm... When I first arrived, I sensed an intense feeling of gloom and destruction nearby, so I came to take a look."

"But then I sensed pain, sorrow, and confusion as well, so I handed that child a few tissues. You know everything that happened after that..."

"His family member probably just passed away. He was overcome with grief. Still, that child seems pretty good..."

Kushina smiled, paying no mind to the fact that Kato Osamu had not told her his name.

"He's somewhat like Kakashi..."

Minato nodded. With him present, Kushina's safety was naturally assured. Still, that child gave him a strange feeling, though he could not tell what was strange about him.

"He has already mastered the Body Flicker Technique at that age, and he seems quite familiar with the human body. Could he be from the medical division?"

Minato thought of Kakashi, then Kato Osamu, and could only sigh inwardly. Losing a family member at such a young age and becoming somewhat gloomy was understandable.

"If only I could change this situation..."

"Minato, what are you thinking about?"

"Kushina..."

"I was thinking about how to let these children live better lives. How to keep their parents from dying when they are still young. How to bring peace to this world..."

"Minato..."

"Though it will be difficult, I will always support you..."

Hearing Minato's words, Kushina gently took his hand and looked at him tenderly. Minato softly drew Kushina into his arms.

"Eww, eww, eww! Minato-sensei! Obito can't watch this!"

"Obito!"

Kushina's red hair seemed to fly as she grabbed Obito and vigorously ruffled his hair.

"Kushina-sensei, Obito won't do it again..."

"Hahaha..."

Rin's laughter was like silver bells, and Minato smiled with narrowed eyes as well.